Flush sliding door construction



Nov. 4, 1969 s. PUCZYNSKI FLUSH SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed April25, 1968 N V E N TOR. STANLEY PUCZY/VSK/ m, 1 FM United States Patent O3,475,860 FLUSH SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION Stanley Puczynski, Chicago,Ill., assignor of fifty percent to Edward Cukale, Chicago, Ill. FiledApr. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 724,090 Int. Cl. E0511 15/36 US. Cl. 49-129 7Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flush sliding door construction fora wall aperture of given size and configuration in which a door ofcorresponding size and configuration slides along parallel tracks thatextend inwardly from a trailing edge of the aperture, across theaperture, and behind the wall at a small acute angle to the wall. Aspring biasing means urges the leading edge of the door outwardly of thetracks into closed position, flush with the wall, in the aperture; toopen the door, the leading edge is pivoted inwardly just enough to clearthe wall, through a discontinuity in the track, and then slides alongthe track to an open position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are a number of applications in whichit is desirable to provide a truly flush sliding door as an enclosurefor a wall opening. For example, in television receivers and otherspecialized applications, a cover for controls, displays, or otherportions of the apparatus may be maintained normally closed. Continuityof appearance, as provided by truly flush door, may be quite desirablein such applications. Generally, flush doors have been provided byhinged constructions, since known sliding door atrangements do notaiford flush mounting of the doors.

Sliding door structures are well known in cabinetry, buildingconstruction, and other applications. But known sliding door structuresnormally do not provide flush closures, because it is necessary torecess the door in order that it may move into a space behind the wallstructure with which it is used. This recess requirement is oftenundesirable, in some applications for esthetic reasons and in others forpractical working reasons. For example, if a horizontally mounted dooris to remain closed much of the time and is also required to afford aworking surface, it is preferable that it be flush with the encompassingwall structure when the door is closed to provide maximum utility in useof the working surface. In a phonograph cabinet or other cabinetconstituting a part of home or office furnishings, appearancerequirements may dictate that the door be flush even though there is noworking necessity in this regard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a principal object of the invention,therefore, to provide a new and improved sliding door construction inwhich the door, when closed, is in true flush alignment with theexternal surface of the wall in which it is mounted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved flushsliding door construction capable of prolonged operational life withoutsubstantial likelihood of jamming or other malfunction.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedflush sliding door construction that is simple and inexpensive tomanufacture, easy to assemble, and substantially maintenance-free.

A flush sliding door structure for closing and opening an aperture ofgiven size and configuration in a wall, constructed in accordance withthe invention, comprises a door having a size and configurationconforming to the wall aperture. A track is mounted in fixed positionrelative to the wall and extends inwardly from a trailing edge "iceacross the aperture and behind the wall at a small acute angle to thewall. Preferably, two parallel tracks at opposite sides of the door areused. Guide means, engaging the door and the tracks, guide movements ofthe door along the tracks between an initial tracking positionimmediately adjacent the wall aperture but angularly displaced therefromby the aforesaid acute angle and a full open position in which no morethan the trailing edge of the door projects into the aperture. Biasingmeans are provided, urging the leading edge of the door outwardly of thetracks into a closed position in which the door is disposed within thewall aperture in flush surface alignment with the wall, the trackshaving a discontinuity which permits pivotal movement of the doorbetween its initial tracking and closed positions.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be'apparent fromthe following description and claims and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferredembodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and whatis now considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying theseprinciples. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same orequivalent principles may be made as desired by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a flushsliding door structure, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention, with one track removed, and with the door in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation view taken approximately along line 22in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail view, similar to FIG. 1, showing the door in aninitial tracking position;

FIG. 4 is a detail view, similar to FIG. 1, showing the door in fullopen position; and

FIG. 5 is a detail sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but with the door infull open position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a flushsliding door structure 10 constructed in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the invention. The sliding door structure 10 comprises adoor 11 that fits within an aperture 12 of given size and configurationwithin a wall 13. Door 11 should correspond to aperture 12 in size andconfiguration so that the door affords a complete closure for theaperture in the wall. In FIGS. 1 and 2, door 11 is shown in its closedposition in which the door fits into aperture 12 and is aligned in flushrelation with the external surface of wall 13.

The sliding door structure 10 further comprises two parallel tracks 14and 15 of substantially identical construction that are mounted in fixedpositions relative to wall 13 at opposite sides of door 11 and aperture12. In FIG. 1, track 14 has been cut away to avoid obstructing othermajor components in the drawings, but the relationship of tracks 14 and15 can be readily ascertained by comparing them as illustrated in FIGS.2 and 5. Each of the two tracks is of substantial L-shapedconfiguration, in cross-section, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Thus,track 14 includes an inwardly projecting track ridge 16 (see FIG. 2) andtrack 15 comprises a corresponding inwardly projecting ridge 17 (FIGS. 1and 3-5). Tracks 14 and 15 extend from the trailing edge 18 of aperture12 (the lefthand edge in FIGS. 1 and 3) across the opening 12 and behindthe wall 13 for a substantial length. The two tracks are oriented at avery small acute angle to the plane of wall 13, the angle of inclinationbeing just sufiicient to provide adequate clearance for door 11 duringopening and closing of the door.

Ridge 17 on track 15 is not completely continuous throughout the lengthof the track. Rather, as shown in FIG. 1, there is a notch ordiscontinuity 19 in the ridge 17 located adjacent the leading edge 20 ofaperture 12. That is, notch 19 is located adjacent the leading edge 21of door 11 when the door is in its closed position as shown in FIG. 1.There is a similar notch 19 in track 14; see FIG. 2. Thesediscontinuities 19 permit pivotal movement of door 11 between the closedposition shown in FIG. 1 and the initial tracking position illustratedin FIG. 3.

Door 11 is provided with guide means effectively interconnecting thedoor with tracks 14 and 15 and guiding the movements of the door alongthe tracks. In the illustrated embodiment, the guide means comprises afirst guide flange 24 positioned to engage the upper or outer surface ofridge 16 on track 14 as shown in FIG. 2. A corresponding guide flange 24at the opposite side of the door engages the upper surface of ridge 17on track 15 (FIG. The two flanges 24 extend the full width of the door.

The guide means of the illustrated embodiment further includes two pairof guide projections, comprising pins 26 and 27, projecting outwardly ofthe side edges of door 11. Each of the two pins 26 is mounted on thetrailing edge portion of the door and each of these pins is engaged atall times with the lower or inner surface of a respective one of thetrack ridges 16 and 17. This relationship is best seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and4. The other two guide pins 27 are mounted on the leading edge portionof the door in position to engage the inner surfaces of track ridges 16and 17. However, when the door is in its closed position, as shown inFIG. 1, guide pins 27 are not engaged with the track ridges, as is shownby FIGS. 1 and 2.

The leading edge 20 of door 11 is provided with a closure flange 31 thatprojects behind the adjacent portion of wall 13. In the illustratedconstruction, wall 13 is shown as being as thick as door 11. With thewall 13 as thick as or thicker than the door, the wall is cut away asindicated at 32 to receive the closure flange 31 of the door. If thewall is thinner than the door, this may not be necessary. With door 11in closed position, its flange 31 engages the notched or cut-awayportion 32 of the wall to assure accurate alignment of the door in flushrelation to the outer surface of the wall.

Biasing means are provided for normally maintaining door 11 in closedposition. In the illustrated construction, this biasing means comprisesa dowel or plunger 33 mounted within a block 34 and urged outwardly ofthe block 34 by means of a spring 35. The top end of plunger 33 may beprovided with a plastic glide 36 for engaging the internal surface ofthe closure flange 31 on the door. A single biasing device is shown inthe illustrated embodiment, mounted upon an internal wall 37 of acabinet of which wall 13 is an external wall. Where no convenientcentralized internal wall or other support is available, a pair ofbiasing devices may be mounted adjacent the opposite sides of the door.Other biasing means, including leaf spring devices and other resilientelements, can be utilized instead of the helical spring and plungerarrangement illustrated in the drawings.

A stop block 38 is mounted upon the internal surface of wall 13 inalignment with the right-hand end portions of tracks 14 and 15 as shownin FIG. 1. Stop block 38 is utilized to limit the travel of door 11 andto define the full open position for the door as described hereinafter.The surface of stop block 38 facing toward door 11 may be provided witha pad 39 of natural or synthetic rubber or other suitable resilientmaterial to prevent damage to the door if the door is opened withsomewhat excessive force. One or more pull members 41 are mounted in thedoor, adjacent to or in the trailing edge of the door to provide foropening and closing movements.

In onsi e i g ep at a of the their Sliding o st ture 10, it may first beassumed that door 11 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 1. It ismaintained in that position by the resilient pressure of plunger 33against flange 31, which holds flange 31 in engagement with thecomplementary recessed portion 32 of wall 13.

To open the door 11, the door is pressed inwardly of wall 13, near theleading edge 20 of the door, in the direction of the arrow A. Thetrailing edge portion 28 of the door cannot move inwardly because of theengagement of the door flanges 24 with the tracks 14 and 15. Thus, theinward movement of the door causes it to pivot into alignment with thetwo tracks in an initial tracking position illustrated in FIG. 3. As thedoor is pivoted from its closed position to its initial trackingposition, it is dseen that the guide pins 27 move through the notches ordiscontinuities 19 in the track ridges 16, 17.

From the initial tracking position illustrated in FIG. 3, the doorslides along the tracks toward its full open position as shown in FIG.4. Finger pull 41 is utilized for this purpose. After the door is movedonly a very short distance, the guide pins 27 clear the notches 19 inthe guide tracks, giving positive control of the door movement all ofthe way to the full open position. Movement of the door is arrested inthe full open position by engagement of its leading edge 20 with thepadded surface 29 of stop block 38. Preferably, the stop block ispositioned so that door movement is arrested before guide pins 26 reachthe notches 19 in the tracks, so that the door cannot come untrackedwhen it is in the full open position.

Return movement of the door is effected simply by pulling its trailingedge portion 28, using pull 41, back toward the trailing edge 18 of thedoor aperture. When the door is returned to the initial trackingposition of FIG. 3, the biasing means comprising plunger 33automatically pushes the door back to its full closed position (FIG. 1).That is, return movement of the door follows the sequence beginning atFIG. 4 back to the position of FIG. 3 and then automatically returns tothe closed position of FIG. 1. If desired, a recessed latchinterconnecting the leading edges 20 and 21 of the wall aperture and thedoor can be. incorporated in the door structure to support the door inclosed position. This is particularly desirable if the door is a part ofa working surface or is required to withstand an external load of anykind.

The sliding door structure 10 is quite simple and economical inconstruction. Tracks 14 and 15 are preferably formed from a low frictionextruded plastic, such as nylon, but can be formed of other materialsincluding metal or wood. The materials selected depend, in part, uponthe weight of the door and the external forces to which it may besubjected. In a relatively light-weight construction, such as a controlpanel door for a television receiver, guide pins 26 and 27 may be simpleplastic pins or even wood dowels. For other doors, roller pins may beutilized. For a vertically mounted door, additional rollers may bemounted upon the side edges of the doors to engage the tracks andsupport the door weight.

In any door constructed in accordance with the invention, the closureflange 31 need not extend for the full width of the door. Individualclosure elements can be used, affording engagement with the biasingmeans that normally maintains the door in closed condition. However, acontinuous flange construction is preferred because it affords a morecomplete closure.

In the illustrated construction, the tracks 14 and .15, and morespecifically the ridges 16 and 17 on those tracks, effectively fit intothe guide means on the door, comprising the guide flanges 24 and theguide pins 26 and 27. However, it will be recognized that thisrelationship can be reversed and that the door can be fitted with guideelements, either multiple pins or a continuous flange, eflectivelyfitting into a slotted track, without departing from the presentinvention.

Door structures constructed in accordance with the in ntio a e s p e a di e p s ve to manufacture,

avoiding the complexities of other forms of sliding door hardware. Thepivotal movement of the door, betwee its initial tracking and closedpositions, avoids jamming and permits positive control of the doormovement at all times. The door structure is not easily damaged and,with reasonable usage, affords a long relatively maintenancefree life.Moreover, true flush alignment is achieved when the door is closed.

I claim:

1. A flush sliding door structure for closing and opening an aperture ofgiven size and configuration in a Wall comprising:

a door having a size and configuration conforming to said aperture;

a straight linear track mounted in fixed position relative to said walland extending inwardly from a trailing edge across said aperture andbehind said wall at a small acute angle thereto;

guide means, interconnecting said door and said track, for guidingmovement of said door along said track between an initial trackingposition immediately adjacent said aperture but angularly displacedtherefrom by said acute angle and a full open position in which no morethan the trailing edge portion of said door projects into said aperture,said guide means interfitting with said track to restrain said dooragainst deflection in either direction transversely of said track;

and biasing means, located closely adjacent to the leading edge of saidaperture, for urging the leading edge portion of said door outwardly ofsaid track into a closed position, within said aperture, in which saiddoor is in flush alignment With said wall;

said track having an opening therein permitting pivotal movement of saiddoor between said initial tracking position and said closed position.

2. A flush sliding door structure according to claim 1 in which saiddoor has a closure flange at the leading edge thereof overlapping theleading edge of said Wall aperture when said door is in closed position,and in which said biasing means maintains said closure flange inengagement with said wall to hold said door aligned with said wall.

3. A flush sliding door structure according to claim 1 in which saidbiasing means comprises a spring biased plunger mounted in fixedposition relative to said wall,

said plunger being axially movable along a path transverse to said wallin response to pressure applied to the leading edge of said door to movesaid door from said closed position to said initial tracking position.

4. A flush sliding door structure according to claim 1 comprising twosuch tracks, parallel to each other, at opposite sides of said door,said guide means interconnecting said door with both of said tracks.

5. A flush sliding door structure according to claim 4 in which each ofsaid tracks comprises a longitudinal ridge, in which said guide meanscomprises a pair of continuous guide flanges on the opposite sides ofsaid door, each engageable with the outer surface of one of said trackridges, in which said guide means further comprises a first pair ofguide projections projecting from the opposite sides of the trailingedge portion of said door into engagement with the inner surfaces ofrespective ones of said track ridges, and in which said guide meansfurther comprises a second pair of guide projections projecting from theopposite sides of the leading edge portion of said door, said trackopenings comprising notches in said track ridges aligned with saidsecond pair of guide projections when said door is in its closed andinitial tracking positions.

6. A flush sliding door structure according to claim 5 in which each ofsaid guide projections comprises a plastic pin.

7. A flush sliding door structure according to claim 5 in which each ofsaid guide projections comprises a roller.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 239,097 3/1881 Hewitt et al.49--213 2,144,782 1/1939 Swanson 49-130 2,959,827 11/1960 Barabas 49130FOREIGN PATENTS 543,034 2/ 1942 Great Britain.

768,783 5/1934 France.

510,748 1/1955 Italy.

DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 49209

